Since its release on Aug. 9, the book-film adaptation “It Ends with Us” earned well over $300 million. The #1 New York Times bestseller novel turned blockbuster film follows a woman named Lily Bloom (played by Blake Lively) who navigates experiencing, and eventually leaving, an abusive relationship with her ex-husband, Ryle Kinkaid (played by Justin Baldoni). The film was produced by Lively and directed by Baldoni. The book’s author, Colleen Hoover, supported the adaptation and was involved in the making and press surrounding the film. The book first became popular on TikTok in 2020. Initially, readers questioned Hoover’s credibility in writing about such an intense topic. Some even claimed she was glamorizing abuse. Hoover, however, revealed that she dealt with physical and verbal abuse from her father growing up. “I would ask [my mom] all the time, ‘How did you find yourself in this situation?’ And I decided to write a book about it inspired by her courage to leave my biological father,” Hoover said in an interview with The Daily Mail. After the announcement of the movie adaptation, advocates for the victims of domestic abuse continued to voice concern that the story would be too sympathetic towards the abuser and could even romanticize intimate partner violence. The filmmakers, perhaps in response, modified the ending of the story. In the movie, Lily completely cuts off contact with Ryle, while in the book, she chooses to co-parent their child with him.  In addition to the concern about the movie itself, there is also criticism about the tone of its marketing, which is specifically aimed at Blake Lively. According to her critics, Lively exhibited a light-hearted, almost comedic, attitude towards the film, telling fans to “Grab your friends. Wear your florals, and go see it.” Suggesting that the movie was just like any other rom-com.  On campus, opinions about this movie and its marketing are varied. “I think the movie did a good job showing and spreading awareness about domestic violence,” sophomore Sofia Herron said. Despite appreciating the actual content of the film, she was disappointed with the movie’s marketing. “I thought [Blake Lively] promoted the movie poorly. I thought it was kind of immature of her. The movie has sensitive topics, and she’s not really putting much thought into them or spreading awareness of the meaning behind the movie,” Sofia said Upper School History Instructor Daisy Altamirano agreed that Lively’s marketing did not reflect the movie’s solemnity.  “I thought the marketing was good. With Justin Baldoni, the things that I heard him talk about felt really intentional. He was thinking about domestic violence and being sensitive to that and really trying to portray it in a way that was respectful to victims. Blake Lively’s portrayal of that same topic didn’t read as respectful or intentional.”  An unfortunate aspect of this controversy is how it overshadowed the film for viewers. Rather than paying attention to the subject matter of the movie, viewers and media focused on the drama surrounding the actors. “I think it was disappointing to see the discourse around the film be focused on Blake Lively and her personality instead of the actual themes, which I think are really powerful and do have a strong message to take away,” Altamirano said.